The Brief

A local homemade candle business commissioned me for branding material, marketing advice and an online store front. They had a good idea of what they wanted, but didn’t know how to get there. All I had to do was bring their vision to life.

Software Used

Software Used

Software Used

Brand Identity

  • The Natural World 

  • Old Fashioned

  • Inspired by Fantasy

  • Escape the city

  • Vintage

  • Hand Made

Logo Design

The client already had a name picked out and a vague idea for the logo. At the bare bones they wanted it to have iconography of a captain or pirate and the flame of a candle. From there it was my job to research existing candle logos and see where I could draw some inspiration from the field.

Research

Many contemporary candle companies have a noticeable lack of imagery. A few use symbols, but the majority stick to simple wordmark logos.

While these all have clean typography, they were lacking that more personable element of handmade craftsmanship the client wanted to invoke.

Searching for that personality, I turned to vintage mascot logos. The brand held the title of Captain after all, so I thought to put a face to the name. Something more akin to the iconic faces of Dan Murphy's or Colonel Sanders, that portrayal of a proud man displaying their work. An expression often found on logos of chefs, barbers and farmers. In our case, it will be a proud captain.

Iteration

Taking the initial idea of the proud captain mascot to the client, we had a constructive back and forth discussion on the design. The mainstays of the logo were still the same: iconography of a pirate captain and a candle’s flame. It just took a few attempts to combine those elements in a satisfying way.  


In my first sketches I thought to have the captain gazing out over his creation. Taking in the scents. This proved to be too clunky of a composition and I went back to the drawing board. 


In further conversations we began to draw inspiration from the famous pirate, Blackbeard, with the iconic flaming wicks in his beard. 


I experimented with the captain’s hat being a candle itself, along with the burning tips of his moustache. The hat idea didn’t land, but the moustache had potential.


From there I played with different faces to display the candle wick moustache. Finally landing on a design that invoked a proud expression on the mascot and kept those signature elements. This was our captain.


Marketing

To best capture that homemade feel of the brand, we created Tiktoks of the candle making process. Being on Tiktok, they of course needed to be edited to the beat of catchy songs and snappy to keep viewer retention. 

Web Design Research

A quick look at existing candle websites showed some important elements to consider for our own.


The front page should highlight the best of the batch when it comes to the product. New scents, favourites and deals to entice the customer.


The product photography should capture the brand's personality. Be that a warm cozy feeling, an elegant luxury item or a more natural essence. This can be elevated by a good logo and branding material.


Said imagery should be complimented by a simple layout design. A candle storefront doesn't need to reinvent the wheel. Users are already familiar with the tried and true interface of online stores, so sticking close to home is how we can ensure a smooth shopping experience. 

A quick look at existing candle websites showed some important elements to consider for our own.


The front page should highlight the best of the batch when it comes to the product. New scents, favourites and deals to entice the customer.


The product photography should capture the brand's personality. Be that a warm cozy feeling, an elegant luxury item or a more natural essence. This can be elevated by a good logo and branding material.

Low Fidelity

High Fidelity

Nathan Higgins

Nathan Higgins

Nathan Higgins